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Originally Posted by the urban politician
So how does having 'Mayor Rahm' as opposed to 'Mayor Chico' affect Chicago's prospects for mass transit improvements? Thoughts?
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None of the candidates seemed to think much about transit until they were pressed by various journalists and bloggers, so I wouldn't look forward to a new golden age for the CTA. That said, Rahm was definitely the best choice.
The fact that Chico didn't form an official policy position on transit, even AFTER being pressed, speaks volumes about his commitment to quality transit (or lack thereof).
del Valle also had a decent transit platform, although he was adamantly opposed to major investment downtown. I think this was misguided...
all of CTA's recent major projects have been in the neighborhoods, including major rebuilds of the Brown, Green, Pink , and south Red Lines. CTA's current expansion plans are also way out in the neighborhoods... extensions of the Red, Orange, Yellow Lines, the Red/Purple Line, Circle Line, etc. If anything, the downtown area is overdue for transit investment.
His policy statement specifically said "NO Downtown Circulator", which is a bit odd - it's not like anybody else is pushing for a downtown circulator, either. I'm assuming this refers to the dormant Carroll Avenue busway, unless he's opposing a dead 20-year-old light rail plan.